Tennessee-East Tennessee State preview
When East Tennessee State (1-10) plays the Lady Vols Monday at Thompson-Boling Arena, it will mark a homecoming for three former high school stars to Knoxville.
Aaliyah Vananda, Jakhyia Davis and Mykia Dowdell were all top prep players in the Knoxville area.
Vananda, a freshman guard, played both basketball and soccer at Maryville High School.
Vananda scored over 1,000 points in her career for the Rebels and was an all-district and all-region standout in both basketball and soccer. She was also an all-state nominee in soccer.
Davis, a freshman center for East Tennessee State, played at Bearden High School in Knoxville.
Davis was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs and was an all-district, all-region and all-state performer four times.
She played for the Buccaneers last season, appearing in all 20 games and making 15 starts.
Dowdell, a redshirt sophomore forward played at Oak Ridge High School.
Dowdell led the Wildcats to a pair of Class AAA state tournament appearances and was on the all-tournament team twice, making 132 consecutive starts during her career.
She began her college career at Middle Tennessee State.
Tipoff for Monday’s game is slated for 6:30 p.m. EST and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.
